Creation of Khalsa (30 March 1699 A.D)

Aurungzeb's
religious policy was totally against Hindus, they had to pay
more taxes then Muslims. Sir Mohd. Latif writes "He discouraged the
teaching of the Hindus, burnt to the ground the great Pagoda near Delhi,
and destroyed the temple of Bishnath at Benares, and the great temple of
Dera Kesu rai at Mathura, said to have been built by Raja Narsingh deo,
at the cost of 33 lakh rupees. The gilded domes of this temple were so
high that they could be seen from Agra 54 kms distant. On the site of
temple he built a mosque at a great cost. About year 1690, the emperor
issued an edict prohibiting Hindus from being carried in palanquins or
riding on Arabian horses. All servants of state were ordered to embrace
Islam religion, under pain of dismissla, those who refused were deprived
of their post.

Revolts suppressed

(1)The jats :
Gokal, a Jat of Tilpat revolted against the governer of
Mathura, Abdu Nabi, and shot him dead in an encounter. Aurungzeb
defeated Gokal, his womenfolk were given to Muslims. Five thousand jats
were killed and seven thousand taken prisoners. (Jadunath Sarkar, page 152)

(2)The Satnamis :
One day in 1672, a Satnami picked up a quarrel with a
Mughal soldier and soldier broke his head with a batan. Other Satnamis
beat up the soldier. This riot became a revolt against Aurungzeb and he
sent a 10,000 strong force. All Satnamis were killed and no trace of
their sect was left. They lived around the area of Narnaul in Haryana and UP.

(3)The Sikhs :
Aurungzeb dealth with the Sikhs in same manner, In
November 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur was called upon to embrace Islam or
death. His companion were most cruelly murdered.

(4)The Rajputs :
In December 1678, Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur
passed away. Aurungzeb annexed his kingdom and killed his two infant
sons. A revolt spread out against Aurungzeb and annexation of Marwar was
followed by Mewar. Maharana Raj singh of Udaipur was defeat. Chhittor
was seized, 63 temples here and 173 temples in Jodhpur were demolished.

(5)The Marathas :
Aurungzeb reached Aurangabad on March 22, 1682. Shiva
ji's son Shambu ji was arrested and tortured to death by him, so were
many Marathas all over the current day 'Mahrashtra'

(6)Unorthodox Muslims :
Aurangzeb was equally uncompromising against Shias, Sufi saints
and liberal minded religious leaders. A few examples. In 1659, Mullan
Shah Lahori, a disciple of Mian Mir was persecuted. In 1661,
Mansur-e-sani Sufi Muhammad Said Sarmad and later another Sufi Saint
Qalandar were beheaded for believing in Sufi principles. The famous sufi
saint Yahiya Chisti was badly maltreated for holding a musical gathering.
(ali mohd. khan, Mirat-e-Ahmadi). In 1669 Muharram was banned, many Shia
Imams were executed. The religious head of Bohras and his 700 followers
were shot dead. In 1670, wearing of Zarbaft clothes, embroided in golden
threads was forbidden, even the son of Aurungzeb, Sultan Mohd. was killed
for not following this order. The length of beard of all muslims was
fixed at four fingers or eight centimeters, extra lenght was to cut off.
in 1772 Diwan Mohammad Tahir was executed for liberal interpretation of
Islam. In 1683, Mir Hussain was exiled from Kashmir. (PAges 256-257, of
'History of Sikhs vol-1' by Hari Ram Gupta).

Guru Gobind Rai's contemplation.

Slowly but
steadily these news were trickling down to Guru Gobind
Rai. A moment of reflection reminded him that Guru Nanak had described
the rulers of his time as tigers and dogs. That situation has not
changed in 200 years. The policy of non-violence submisssion and
surrender had produced no effect upon these ferocious tigers and mad dogs.
After the most determined meditation on this sad state of affairs, the
Guru came to the conclusion that to tyrannise was bad, but to bear
tyranny patiently was worse. The country did not belong to the king.
The king belonged to the coutry. If the king was bad, people must rise in
revolt. Without political liberty, religious, intellectual, social and
economic freeddom could not be achieved. Political freedom could be won
by armies. The armies of suppressed people were non-existent. The spirit
of brave Jats of Mathura and Delhi had been crushed. The heroic Satnamis
had been completely wiped out of existence. The Rajput resistance was
broken. The noble Shivajji had died young. His eldest son Shambuji had
been hacked to pieces. His only son Shahu was in captivity. The Guru's
own house was no exception. His great grandfather, Guru Arjan, was
tortured to death at Lahore. His grandfather Guru Hargobind had suffered
12 years of imprisonment. His father Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed. His
most faithful follower, Bhai Mati Dass was sawn across from head to
loins, while others were boiled or cut to pieces.

Thus,
Guru sat about planning and preparing himself for the
struggle to win freedom. His army was to be based on social justice.
There could be no discrimination in the name of caste, creed and colour.
His soldiers unpaid, ill-armed, poorly equipped and untrained were to be
inspired with feelings of patriotism and nationalism. In Krishna Avtar

Guru says : Kou kise ko rajnade hai,
ja lai hai nij bal sit lai hai
[no people can have self-rule as a gift
from another. It is to be seized
through their own strength.]

Without
freedom there is doom. When doom stares in the face,
gloom engulfs even the bravest. But between doom and gloom bloom some of
the noblest specimen of humanity. Guru Gobind Rai was cerainly one of
such specimens. God's choice has always fallen upon men who can wield
arms and armour with a single-minded devotion to their noble cause and
who can successfully resist all temptations for Zan (woman), Zar (money),
and Zamin (land) from the devil.

Was Guru Gobind Rai an enemy of Islam?

Guru Gobind Rai
was determined to exterminate the religious
oppressin of the Mughal Government. He concentrated against the cruel
government and not against Islam. There is no word in his speeches and
writings to prove this baseless charge. He was embodiment of love and
affection for all. His instructions to his sikhs were to treat everybody
with courtesy and consideration. (he specifically forbade sikhs to have
carnal knowledge of Muslim women) It was for this reason that both
Muslims and Hindus were attracted towards him. Muslim Sufi saints and
Muslim commanders of note, and hundreds of muslim soldiers fought under
his banner. Pir Buddhu Shah of Sadhaura, together with his sons and 700
followers fought hard in the battle of Bhangani in which Pir lost two of
his sons and hundreds of disciples. In the battle of Anandpur in 1702
(after the creation of Khalsa) Mir Beg and Mamun Khan commanded Guru's
forces in fighting against Mughal forces. At the same place General
Sayyid Khan of Mughal forces considered it improper and unjust to wage a
war against the Guru. He deserted his post and joined the Guru. Nabi
Khan and Ghani Khan saved Guru from the capture by Mughal army. Qazi
Pir Mohammad who knew Guru, did not confirmed Guru's identity in front of
Mughals, while Rae Kalha offered him refuge and entertained him generously.

In Akal ustat Guru says
1: "Some are Hindus while other Muslims.
of the latter some are Shias and
others are Sunnis. Man's caste should be
considered as one" (Manas ke
jat sabhai ekai pahchanbo)
2: "Karta Karim Rajak Rahim is the same.
3: "Temples and Mosques are the same. Hindu worship
and Muslim prayer are the same. All men are alike,
but they are under delusion.
4: All humans are composed of same elements.
5: All the knowable, the Puranas and the Quran are
the same. All are manifestations of one, and one
is the creator of all.
In the Jap Guru Gobind Rai has given 735
names to God. Of these 30 are of Islam.
He further says:
"Even in error deem not the God of the Hindus,
To be other than God of the Muslims;
Worship the one God,
Recognize the englightener;
All men have the same human form,
In all men blazes the same divine light.
(From Akal Ustat, swayyas)

In Bachitra
Natak Guru Says that there is no enmity between the
successors of Baba Nanak and of Babar. The former are religious leaders
and the latter are political rulers. He declared: "The house of Baba
Nanak and of Babar both derive their authority from God. recognise the
former as supreme is religion and the latter as supreme in secular affairs."

This
clearly shows that Guru admitted the secular authority of
Emperor over his Sikhs. Sujan Rae Bhandari wrote in 1696, "In their
eyes their own people and others as well as friends and foes are all
alike. They love their friends, but they do not illtreat their enemies."

Guru Gobind Rai as a Saint-Soldier

A true soldier is a saintly person, and a true saint is a mighty
warrior, a powerful hero. The hero is a person who can restrain the
natural outgoing tendency of the mind and the senses. He is a seeker
after truth. Through spiritual discipline he enjoys eternal bliss and is
ever immersed in perennial peace. He wages a war in order that the good
and innocent people of the world might live in peace, and enjoy
reasonable happiness. The self is the fountain-source of immortality,
eternal bliss and enduring tranquality

The Guru's mission

Guru
Gobind singh decided to create a national awakening in
Panjab. The time chosen was oppurtune. Aurungzeb was involved in life
and death struggle in the Deccan with the Marathas. Panjab was in charge
of Prince Muazzam who lived in Kabul (this prince later became emperor
withe the name of Bahadur Shah) Guru first tried to plant his ideas in
the mind of the warrior class of Rajputs of the Shivalik hills. He soon
discovered that the caste ridden and class dominated feudal lords would
not respond to his appeals and they would not fit in his idealogy. He
therefore turned his attention to down-trodden masses.

While
reading the Puranas,the Guru realized that God was the
wielder of arms to punish tyrants and destroy evil-doers. He was also,
the bestower of gifts and fountain-head of mercy. Further, the Guru had been
deeply struck by the idea that God had been sending a saviour at critical
times to save the virtuous and destroy the wicked. He knew that he had
been sent to this world for the same purpose. In Bachitra Natak the Guru
says:

1.Hum eh kaj jagat mo ae
dharam het gur dev pathae
jahan tahan tum dharam bitharo
dusht dokhian pakar pachharo
[for this purpose I came into this world.
God sent me for the sake of Dharam. Whereever
you are spread dharam. Root out the
oppressors and the wicked]
The guru then invokes for the long life of all
those who ever remember God and fight in the
righteous cause. In Krishna avtar he
writes:
Dhan jiyo tih kau jag main
mukh te Hari chit main yuddh bichare
[blessed are they in this world, who have
Hari on their tongue and
war in their heart]

Foundation of the Khalsa, 30 March, 1699

At
the behest of the Guru, the congregation sauntered down the
hill and a multitude mustered on the hill of Anandpur where stands
Gurudwara Keshgarh. The Guru remained busy in meditation and
contemplation. He told the congregation that 1000 years ago Brahmins had
created the brave community of Rajputs by performing hom of fire on Mount
Abu. The Rajputs were valiant people, but they had failed in preserving
independence of Indian people from foreign oppression. He was going to
perform the Hom of blood to
create a new community braver and bolder than Rajputs to liberate the
country from foreign oppression and tyranny. On the morning of 30th
March Guru sought God's blessings:

Thad bhayo main jor kar bachan kaha sar nyae
Panth chale tab jagat men jab tum ho sahae
[I stood up with folded hands and head
bent down and said, Panth
can flourish in the world only with your help.

He
entered a specially constructed canopy where a huge
congregation was seated. Behind it there was a small tent which was
closed on all sides and it could be entered from the canopy alone. The
Guru asked them to utter the following call after him: (The salute of Sikhs
was invented by him right then)

The
Guru then made the most stirring oration on saving religion
which was in great peril, and about his divine mission. The Guru
narrated the stories of Government's tyranny, humilatin, tortures,
forcible conversions, destruction of temples and schools, brutal
persecution of those who protested and of destruction of Satnamis and
Jats. He depicted the miseries they had suffered from and presented
pictures of fresh horrors and tribulations which lay in store for them at
the hands of the emperor and his officials. He aroused their enthusiasm
to get ready to fight against those who trod upon their beliefs and on
their very existence. He expressed great faith in the power of the
common people. The discuorse first excited the whole audience, then
enthralled and terrified them and eventually thrilled them. He
criticised the Hindu view of life. They believed in non-violence [ahimsa
paramo dharam]. They would do no wrong to others. They thought that the
oppressor would get the punishment of his evil deeds in the next world.
Instead of self-help and resistance they practised patience, non-violence
and renunciation. For want of organization the Hindus could not resist
the onslaught of the invaders and government who called Hindus sparrows
and themselves hawks, meaning thereby that they could cut up Hindus as a
hawk mutilated sparrows.

The
Guru explained that in order to safeguard their spiritual and
temporal rights the people should not depend on fate. They ought to
entrust this duty to themselves. They should individually feel any
national wrong done, and colectively organise means to resist it.

In his
ecstasy the Guru sang the praises of the sword. "God
subdues enemies, so does sword, therefore Sword is God, and God is the
sword. Addressing the Sword he said:

"I bow with love and devotion to holy sword.
assist me that I may complete this work.
Thou art the subduer of countries.
Destroyer of the armies of the wicked in the battlefield.
Thou greatly adornest the brave.
Thine arm is infrangible,
Thy brightness is refulgent,
Thy radiance and splendour dazzle like the sun.
I bow to sword, spotless, fearless and unbreakable.
I bow to the Sword and Rapier which destroy the evil.
In this kal age and at all times there is great confidence in the
powerful arm of the Sword....
The demons who could not be drowned in the sea,
and who could not be burng by fiery arrows,
on beholding thy flash, O Sword, cast aside shame and fled...
Thy greatness is endless and boundless;
No one hath found its limits.
Thou art God of gods, King of Kings,
Compassionate to the poor, and cherisher of the lowly."
Addressing the fighting weapons the Guru said:
jite shastar nam
Namaskar tam
jite astar bhen
Namaskar ten
Namaskrayan mor tiran tufang
Nomo khag, Adang Abhen Abhang,
Gadaen Grishtan namo saithiyan,
Jinhai tuliyan bir biyo na biyan.
[I salute arrows and gun.
O Sword! you are powerful and relentless,
I salute thee. I salute the heavy
Gada and scimitar. Like them
no other hero is born.]

After
his exciting oration, the Guru flashed his sword and said
that every great deed was preceded by equally great sacrifice. The holy
Sword would create a heroic nation after supreme sacrifice. He said that
Dharam thirsted for sacrficial blood. The Guru demanded a devotee in
whose heart he would plunge his sword. This sent a thrill of horror in
the audience. He repeated it in a sterner and more sonorous voice. All
were terror-stricken and there was no response at the first and second
call. At the third call, Daya ram, a Khatri of village Dalla in District
Lahore, rose in his seat and expressed willingness to lay down his life.
He was led into an adjoining tent and asked to sit there quietly. He
dipped his sword blade into vessel full of goats blood. The general
belief is that Guru had tied five goats, and he killed them one by one
with a single stroke. This assertion does not appear to be plausible.
At the first killing the goats would have bleated loudly which could have
been easily heard in the open ground where Guru was conducting the
meeting. He came back with dripping sword, and asked for another head,
one by one Guru stopped at Five. He then ordered the curtain separating
the tent from the canopy to be removed. All were wonder struck to see
the five men standing hale and hearty. The whole area rang with loud
applause and thunderous clap of hands.

All
the five men were robed in similar new dresses and garlanded
and then brought into the assemble. They were as follows.

The
Guru declared that Baba Nanak had found only one devoted Sikh
in Guru Angad, while he had found five such Sikhs. Through the devotion
of one true disciple Sikhism had flourished so well. By the
consececration of five Sikhs his mission was bound to spread all over the
world. He further said that since the time of Guru Nanak Sikhs took
Charanpahul. The newly initiated Sikhs drank water in which Guru had
dipped his great toe. It was derived from an old Indian tradition where
Students will drink the water in which teacher's feet were washed. It
developed spirit of humility and meekness. The times had changed.
In place of humility and meekness, boldness and
pluck were required. He would there fore change the form of baptism, and
would administer to his warrior Sikhs water stirred with a double edged
dagger in an iron vessel, with continuous recitation of hymns from Adi
Granth. [this is what is called "Khande Baatte da pahul"] In the double
edged dagged (Khanda) Guru Gobind Sing combined the two swords of Miri
and Piri of his grandfather (Guru Har Gobind ji, Sixth Guru) into one and
would change the name Sikh to Singh or lion. This title previously
was exclusively confined to the noble Rajputs, the second military
class of Hindus after Kshatriyas. His Singh would look upon himself as
inferior to no other. Every man was a sworn soldier from the time of his
baptism. His Singhs would fight against the enemies of their faith and
freedom like lions. They would be heroes in this life and would attain
salvation and bliss thereafter.

Mata
Jito did not like that the five Sikhs who had offered their
heads to Guru should be given plain water. She immediately brought a
plate full of sugar cakes (patashas) and with the approval of Guru put
them in water. The Guru observed: "We filled the Panth with heroism (Bir
Ras) by stirring it with double edged dagger, you have mixed it with love
(Prem-ras)." While stirring water the Guru recited the sacred hymns of
the holy Adi Granth. The following five banis were recited by the Guru
while preparing the Amrit or the Nectar Guru Nanak's Japji, Guru Amar
Das's Anand, and his own Jap, Chaupai and Ten swayyas. The five Sikhs
were asked to kneel down on their left knees and look into the eyes of
Guru. The Guru then gave every one of them five palm fulls of sweet water
called Amrit or netcar to drink, and five times was the holy water
sprinkled over their heads and faces. The Guru said that the five
beloved ones were his sons. Their mother was Jito. Individually each
was called a Singh and collectively they were given the name of Khalsa.

After
administring baptism, the Guru stood before these five
beloved ones and requested them to baptise him in the same manner. They
pleaded their unfitness for such a performance. The Guru replied that he
was not superior to his devoted disciples. His superiority lay in one
thing. The Guru had attained salvation, nirwan or Sachkhand. While his
disciples were in the process of attaining it. The Guru said "The Khalsa
is the Guru and the Guru is the Khalsa. There is no difference between
me and you." They baptised him, everyone of the five giving one palmful
of nectar and sprinkling it on his head and face turn by turn. He added
Singh to his own name in place of Rai and henceforth came to be caled
Gobind Singh.

"You are now of one creed, followers of one path.
You are above all religions, all creeds, all castes,
and all classes. You are the immortal soldiers of
true dharam. You are messengers of God. This
country's honous and liberty is entrusted to you
by Wah Guru. Mix freely with the world, but remain
of one soul, one ideal and one mind, so you
posses one sould and one mind in the service of
Wah Guru, dharam and your country. You are members
of the Khalsa brotherhood. Anandpur is your
birthplace. Gobind singh is your father. Jito is
your mother. In you four classes have been merged into
one. You are all brothers, all equal. No one is
superior to the other. Eat from one dish. The
independence and security of your country is entruested
upon you. Work for it with one mind. Success is sure.
From today your saluation will be,
Wah Guru ji Ka Khalsa, Wah Guru ji ki Fatah.

The
number five has always been a sacred one in India from time
immemorrial. The best form of self-government provided by ancient sages
was Panchayat or council of five, Panchon men parmeshwar (God is present
in the council of chosen five) was common saying in those days. Guru
Nanak also laid emphasis on number five. In Japji he says:

Each
Guru offered his successor five paise with a coconut or bel
fruit followed by five circumbulations around him, in token of his
becoming the next Guru. Sawa rupaya, Sawa man, Sawa sau, Sawa lak each
consisting of five quarters is common in Sikh terminology.

Guru
Gobind Singh made the best use of this spiritual sentiment.
According Giani Kartar singh Kalaswalia in Sri Guru Dashmesh Prakash,
Guru ji sent from paonta five Sikhs to Kashi to study sanskrit. He built
five forts at Anandpur. He selected five beloved ones at Anandpur. He
read five banis while preparing amrit. He administered to each of them
five palmfuls of amrit or holy water. Then "Wah guru ji ka khalsa" and "Wah
guru ji ki fatah" had five words in each line. Guru Govind singh was in
search of a word which could have the sanctity of five and the presence
of God. He adopted the word Khalsa for his Singhs because it fulfilled
both the conditions in the most appropriate manner. Besides this word
had already been used by Guru Hargobind for his Sikhs. In Persian script
Khalsa conssist of five letters:

(i) Khe or Kh stands for Khud or oneself.
(ii) Alif or A represents Akal purukh, Allah or God.
(iii) LAM or L signifies Labbaik, which means
"What do you want with me? Here am I. What would
you have?"
(iV) Swad or S alludes to Sahib or Lord or Master.
(v) it ends with either A. Alif or A points to
Azadi or freedom.

The
word Khalsa, therefore has the sacredness of number five as
well as the presence of God with his singhs both engaged in a pleasent
conversation. God himself asks the singhs:

"What do you want from me? Here am I. What would you have?"
The Singhs reply: "Lord! give us liberty."

Nishan-e-Sikhi ast in Panj har kaf
Hargiz na bashad azin panj muaf
Kara, Karad, Kacha, Kanga bi dan,
Bina kesh kes hech ast jumla nishan.
[These five letters of K are emblems of Sikhism.
These five are most incumbent, Steel Bangle,
big knife, shorts and a comb; without
unshorn hair the other four are of no
significance]

Five Symbols:

In
those days Hindus of respectable families wore
five ornaments: gold ear rings, a necklace, gold or silver bangles,
finger ring and a waist belt of gold or silver. The wearer felt proud of
displaying his superior social position. At the same time he ran the
risk of losing these articles as well his life into the bargain.

Guru
Gobind Singh provided to his followers five jewels which
were within reach of everybody down to the poorest peasent and the lowest
labourer. Instead of creating fear in the mind of the wearer of losing
these jewels, Guru ji's five jewels made his Singh bold, brave and
awe-inspiring. These jewels were kesh or long hair, Kangha or comb,
Kirpan or dagger, Kara or steel bracelet and Kachcha a pair of
knickerbockers. These symbols gave Khalsa a sembelence of unity, close
brotherhood and equality. They developed group consciousness. Guru
Gobind singh gave the Khalsa a new uniform. This was the spiritual
uniform which at once lifted one to be able to hide their identity and
face danger boldly, and to remain united in close affinity.

Several
arguments in favour of unshorn hair, beards and moustaches:
(From 'Creation of the Khalsa' History of the Sikhs, page 274, Hari Ram
Gupta)

1. That it was a general practice with Hindu sages
and ascetics and Kshatriya princes to keep long hair
tied in a knot on top and flowing beard, and that
Guru Gobind Singh wanted his disciples, in spite of their
being house-holders, to be Karam yogis or practical
saints like Ram, Krishna and Bharat or the five pandavas.
2. That the warlike tribesmen of the North-West frontier
kept long hair though trimmed, and the Guru wished his
followers to have a similarly impressive and alarming
appearance.
3. That the previous Gurus also kept long hair and
Guru Gobind Singh wanted his Singhs to develop like Gurus.
4. The most reasonable explanation is that Guru Gobind
singh desired to provide his Khalsa a natural military
uniform, the least expensive and most impressive permanent
costume. Besides he deemed it necessary that
their heads should be properly guarded from sword
cuts and lathi blows by means of long hair and turbans.

Comb
indicated cleanliness and purity. Steel bracelet developed
an iron will and grit. It was a permanent substitute of Rakhi, a thread
tied by sisters on the wrists of their brothers, reminding them of their
duty to help and protect them. Similarly the Kara served as a reminder
to the Sikhs that they had promised to be true to the Guru and the Panth
and that promise must kept at all costs.

Dagger
depicted power and prestige. Wearing arms was the
privilege and pride of only Kshatriyas and Rajputs. The Khalsa was
lifted to the status of Kshtariya, Rajputs and princes. The pair of
knickerbocker aimed at agility and frugality. It was more convenient for
fighting that the long dhoti of Hindus or loose trousers of Muslims.
Thus the five symbols of Guru Gobind Singh gave strength to the body,
mind and soul and developed an integrated personality of the wearer.
And Khalsa was born.